Daegu Ppol-jjim

About the dish

The cod's head — the ppol — hides surprisingly plump, springy flesh, and braised spicy with soybean sprouts it turns into a genuine delicacy. The dish embodies an old thrift that let nothing go to waste and found flavor where others saw scraps.

Key ingredient

Cod (daegu) — gentle to digest and good for circulation, suiting young and old alike; B vitamins add luster to skin, nails and hair, help fend off colds and supply the lysine that rice lacks. In season in November, mainly from the south coast.

Ingredients

Main: cod head, soybean sprouts, minari (water dropwort), scallion, mideodeok (sea squirt) · Seasoning: gochugaru, gochujang, minced garlic, starch slurry

Simple recipe

1. Clean the cod head and blanch it.
2. Prepare the soybean sprouts and minari.
3. Braise the head in a sauce of gochugaru and minced garlic.
4. Add the soybean sprouts and cook through.
5. Stir in the starch slurry and toss until thick and glossy.

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